Office Space: Vancouver-based Trulioo is growing up

Sign LanguageCompany co-founder Tanis Jorge and her sister handcrafted the original Trulioo logo

The global identification company’s new headquarters reflect the way it does business

Trulioo has moved up in the world. Last year, the Vancouver-based identity verification firm relocated from cramped quarters in Gastown to a 12th-floor office on West Hastings Street near Burrard. The new 12,000- square-foot digs, more than double the size of the previous ones, overlook Burrard Inlet and the green roof of the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Global PerspectiveMeeting rooms, equipped with teleconferencing technology to interact with off-site employees and clients, are named after international financial hubs

Founded in 2011 by Tanis Jorge and Stephen Ufford, Trulioo supports more than 500 global clients to verify five billion customers in 195 countries—with a mission to verify the world’s entire population. Its Global Gateway technology uses data from governments, utilities, marketers, social media and other sources to electronically confirm IDs.

The open-plan design was a priority for both practical and philosophical reasons. At Trulioo, trust and transparency are crucial elements of business values as well as day-to-day operations, explains general manager Zac Cohen. Working closely in an open environment means the 100 or so local employees (half a dozen more are in Dublin and San Francisco) can collaborate effectively while staying up-to-date with colleagues’ projects. Meeting rooms have partly frosted panels for privacy, but the rest of the office is airy and spacious, with extra room for the rapidly expanding company.

Common GroundThere are team lunches twice a week, and annual table tennis and foosball competitions

Inclusivity, represented by the linked “oo” in Trulioo, is also key, so the communal area for games and get-togethers was designed to be a focal point. “It’s important to create an inclusive workplace because it fuels innovation, encourages cross-functional teams and empowers people to take action,” Cohen says. There’s a fully stocked kitchen, a variety of seating for eating, socializing or working, and, on the games front, table tennis and foosball. “We have team lunches twice a week and often gather to eat and chat, so a communal area, where our burgeoning team could all fit comfortably, was very important,” Cohen adds.

Step UpBleachers serve as informal work areas as well as seating during company announcements